Pritchard v. Crouser

NEELY, Chief Justice:

This case presents our first opportunity since Pulliam v. Allen, 466 U.S. 522, 104 S.Ct. 1970, 80 L.Ed.2d 565 (1984) to address the scope of judicial immunity under State law in West Virginia. Although the issue presented is of surpassing importance to the administration of justice, a lawsuit of the most humble origins prompts its arrival in this Court. On 6 July 1984 Mrs. Joe Pitrolo filed a petition in magistrate court to evict Robert and Elizabeth Pritchard, petitioners in this action, from a storeroom the Pritchards were renting from Mrs. Pi-trolo and using as a…